Sewing and stitching

flower border is quilted now into the stars

 I have spent several days of stitching and sewing this week. I got started on the blocks for my newest scrappy challenge quilt. Started with the log cabin blocks and used the nine patches as leaders. I have soooo many nine patches to make! Half way through sewing the blocks I realized I hadn't cut enough strips for the quilt. I needed to cut more strips and they were the longer ones. argggg!! This meant that I would have to add a couple more fat quarters to my pile and try to incorporate them into the quilt so they didn't look like a last minute add on! Luckily I noticed this mistake early in the sewing process.

I have also finished another pass on the hand quilting frame. I have the tender fingertips to prove it. I need to build up those callouses. So I go from frame to sewing machine when the fingers start to hurt too much.

down-sized large frame

Kathy asked today what our favourite quilting  hoop is. While I have a 10"round one and a 14" squareish one, the newest favourite of mine is this hand quilting frame. I use to hand quilt like grandma, on the huge frame that takes up a whole room. I loved being able to look at the whole quilt spread out before me, just waiting to be quilted. But these days this roll up frame is better and it can sit for months if necessary and not be in the way. It is a home made frame so the cog wheels are not finely tuned but I can work with it. The quilt top does move(floats around) so I am trying different ways of setting up the three layers. Instead of trying to guess or center the top on the backing, I start the quilt very close to the bottom edge, where I start hand quilting. That way the excess of the quilt top will float towards the opposite edge and hopefully there will be enough batting and backing when I get there. I allowed 4" all around for the backing so there should be enough. This is only the second time using this frame and during the first attempt I almost ran out of backing!!

Join in with Kathy and see what others are up to. I am trying to stay warm this morning and heading out ice fishing this afternoon! Hope that sun warms things up as it was -27Celcius this morning brrrr!!!